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Ours has already set fruit JeffinSpf. We start ours in the greenhouse early then transplant out after danger of frost. We have never had a problem with germilnation but we keep the seeds very warm.

Billy B, I'd like to know what you plant them in, for the greenhouse? Don't they have a deep root? Do they need deep pots to start? I didn't know you could transplant okra! ... but it sure would be nice for the kind I've started to like, Stewart's Zeebest, which seem to take FOREVER to get to the point they're producing ... but are huge branched plants.

The only "plague" we have seen on okra is wild deer. They will eat them to the ground if they get in the garden.

My very first encounter with deer was several years ago when they ravaged the okra patch overnight leaving nothing behind but the thick vertical stalks. (I know I have some pictures of this somewhere, but can't find them right now) At the time, I had no idea that deer had visited as I had never seen one in the area before. I was quite baffled as to what had happened to the okra, but eventually figured it out. And now, seeing deer in the yard is almost an every day occurrence.

Like others, this year I'm having okra germination problems. The heat is here, the area has been properly watered, but after 9 days, easily less than 5% germination. I have a different batch of seeds somewhere so I'll try to get the okra planted again when I get a chance and hope for the best.

I took a chance about a month ago and planted some in north Georgia even though our nights have been unusually cool. I sowed extra thick because this was seed from last year's okra that I had neglected, and I think every seed came up! Maybe I was just lucky, but this seems to be a really hardy okra. It produced like crazy until a hard frost absolutely killed the whole plant. I had baby okra into October. By the way, this was Burmese okra from Baker Creek. It could be your variety. Keep trying and you'll find one that works for you.

Sometimle ignorence is bliss. I didn't reallize that Okra are not susposed to be transplanted. I have done it for the past two years though. Last year it didn't work well because the weather was too unstable. It grew fine for me in 3 inch pots until I transplanted it. My greenhouse is just a small home made job built from discarded windows. This year we didn't have to heat the greenhouse but the Okra and all our other plants were started with bottom heat.

try grilling the okra- it's so good, but you have to watch it close as it will burn quick on a hot fire. I just make a small slit and drop the pods in a bag with italian salad dressing ( oil & vinagar), grill about 3 minutes and eat them up!

__________________
Choose
Carl Sandburg

The single clenched fist lifted and ready,
Or the open asking hand held out and waiting.
Choose:
For we meet by one or the other.

Nobody will ever win the Battle of the Sexes. There's just too much fraternizing with the enemy. -Henry Kissinger

Okra is actually quite good raw, but I guess I enjoy it no matter how it's prepared. For that pure okra blast of flavor, simply boiling it is hard to beat. Don't like it over boiled to the point of mushiness - needs to have a bit of crispness left. And to practically eliminate the slime factor (mucilage), I add a bit of lemon juice to the water.

My first attempt at planting okra this year was pathetic with almost negligible germination, so I found some seed I saved from last year and replanted today. I must have my okra!!